Overall: An ok to above average rye beer. The rye is dominate and it mixes well with the other flavors. A solid beer, it just felt like something was missing. I may have appreciated this more if if it came in a smaller size, but a bomber just seemed a bit much. Worth a try, just did not do it for me.

I'm excited to try my first beer by Trillium, a brewery out of Fort Point, Boston, MA with a lot of buzz around it. I had Wakerobin at Armsby Abbey in Worcester, MA. Wakerobin's their Red Farmhouse Ale. It has quite the interesting recipe: it's brewed with rye and turbinado sugar, a farmhouse yeast blend, and Sterling and Nugget hops.

Appearance (4.5/5): Trillium Wakerobin is a brilliant orange-red and sports a two-finger off-white head. There's lots of lacing on the glass. This is great looking beer, and slightly lighter in color than most rye ales.

Smell (4.25/5): Wakerobin has a nice blend of piney hoppiness, an earthy rye spiciness, and dark fruits (raisin and plum) lurking in the background. What makes this beer really interesting in terms of smell is how the Saison yeast really flexes and gives this beer an aromatic complexity that most rye beers just don't have (that's partly because most rye beers are really IPAs or Pale Ales brewed with malted rye). So you get your typical Saison yeast characters–grassy, earthy, peppery–in there, which really nicely compliments the spicy character of the rye. I pick up different dimensions of this beer each time I smell it. Complex.

Taste (4.25/5): Wakerobin is spicy and earthy, and has some herbal, tea-like qualities (somewhat unexpected), along with a pleasant, moderately bitter, piney hoppiness. As in the nose, the rye and Saison yeast works well together, producing a fruitful spicy-earthy combination. Speaking of fruit, there are also some nice, though subtle, dark fruit notes that may be the result of the darker malt and the added turbinado sugar.

Mouthfeel (4/5): This beer's mouthfeel is so smooth and creamy, with a medium-full feel and medium carbonation to nicely compliment it. It's moderately dry in the aftertaste. I really dig the prickliness from the rye and hop combination.

Overall (4.25/5): Wakerobin is a really interesting spin on the farmhouse/saison ale style. Everything seems to work in perfect balance. The marriage of Saison yeast and rye malt provides a great foundation. The moderately bitter, piney hops work well as a complimentary flavor. And the turbinado sugar helps bring out some subtle dark fruit flavors and help boost the mouthfeel's creaminess. A really good beer that I would love to have again.

The beer pours a lasting and creamy off white that takes a while to dissipate. The beer itself is a clear copper color with hints of brown. The beer smell has strong rye notes with earthy and floral hops. The smell has notes of apple and cinnamon. Other notes exist such as spices and herbs. The beer taste is less complex. The rye and the hops are the dominant notes that come out. The other notes such as apple and herbs and spices are present but not as noticeable. The texture is medium bodied with biting carbonation and drinks smoothly. A pretty decent rye beer.